The Canopy is a weekday morning email newsletter provided by the team at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

First Nations groups launch legal action against federal government

A confederation of 20 First Nations groups has launched a legal challenge against the federal government, alleging it failed to meet its legal requirements to engage and consult with Indigenous groups before approving the NSW Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan. 

Households with rooftop solar panels can save more than $1000 a year on their electricity bills and double that amount with a home battery, according to data released by the federal government as it rejects an opposition push to pause the renewable energy rollout.

The gender pay gap in Australia makes it harder for women to access EVs, with car companies not communicating to a female demographic only compounding the market divide.

Top stories:

First Nations take legal action over alleged lack of consultation on Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan
The NSW Fractured Rock Water Resource Plan was approved by the federal water minister in 2022. The Murray Darling Basin Authority told the minister proper consultation with some First Nations groups was not completed. Tati Tati man Brendan Kennedy says proper consultation is an "inherent right"

Households could save up to $2000 with solar panels and batteries, data shows
Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water analysis found rooftop solar panels would cut about 39 per cent, or $687, from the average default Victorian household electricity bill of $1756 this financial year.

Why is there a gender gap in the electric vehicle market? And how can it be fixed?
Although both women and men report liking technology as a primary motivation for buying an EV, men were more than twice as likely to list "being the first to have something" as a motivating factor.

Dozens of fires rage across NSW and Queensland but deadly Tara blaze nearly contained
Firefighters battled more than 150 blazes across Queensland and New South Wales on Thursday afternoon, with authorities blaming lightning strikes and difficult weather conditions.

Extreme heatwave warnings grip Australia's north as the south-east prepares for a cold front
There are severe heatwave warnings in both WA and the NT stretching into the weekend with temperatures expected to reach early to mid-40 degrees Celsius in some areas. Meanwhile, Australia's east coast is battling fires, storms, and rain, with Victoria's south-east shivering through a cold patch.

Santos-linked company buys land on controversial Hunter Gas Pipeline route, fuelling landholder tension
Farmers on the New South Wales Liverpool Plains are concerned oil and gas company Santos is a step closer to building its controversial Hunter Gas Pipeline project after a surprise land purchase.

The ‘underwater bushfire’ coming for Australia that can’t be stopped
A severe marine heatwave is bearing down on southern Australia, threatening fisheries, tourism and biodiversity along a vast tract of coast that hosts 67 per cent of the nation’s population.

Calling on world leaders to recognize climate change and biodiversity loss as one indivisible global health emergency
Over 200 health journals across the world have come together to simultaneously publish an editorial calling on world leaders and health professionals to recognize that climate change and biodiversity loss are one indivisible crisis and must be tackled together to preserve health and avoid catastrophe.

Major car brand launches EV battery recycling plan
Kia Australia announced its partnership with Infinitev on Thursday, in a deal the companies said could "preserve valuable resources" and address a sustainability sticking point in the industry.

United Nations endorses groundbreaking WA marine conservation project
A collaboration between Yawuru Traditional Owners and Murdoch University aimed at advancing ocean sustainability has received official endorsement from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as a UN Ocean Decade Action.

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